Take a 'trip' without leaving town
Want to travel to the island of Barbados, la belle France or ghost towns of the Western U.S.?
You can take such “trips” without ever leaving Yuma.
With the upcoming Travelogue Series, you can go on vacation, be back in two hours and not have to worry about luggage, says Stephanie McMillin, box office and events specialist at the Yuma Civic Center.
“This year, the 2010 series will be our 23rd consecutive year,” McMillin said. “It is a series of travel and adventure films that people have taken on their trips …. These are educational films. They’re entertaining and really luscious to look at - a lot of sweeping panoramas and really good cinematography.”
They are high-quality films shot by professional travelers with film and writing backgrounds, she said. The films, which generally run for about two hours with an intermission after one hour, provide audience members with the opportunity to interact with the presenters.
In fact, it’s that interaction that makes the Travelogue Series unique, McMillin said. “The thing about Travelogue is that the traveler and producer accompanies the film, and you’re able to ask questions and interact with the traveler to get more of a real experience.”
That’s just one of eight presentations slated for the series, which begins on Jan. 12 and ends on March 9. All the events are held at the Yuma Civic Center, 1440 W. Desert Hills Drive.
They are generally but not always held on Tuesdays and always begin at 7 p.m., McMillin said. For more information, call 373-5040.
Tickets, which cost $22 for the series or $8 for individual events, may be purchased in advance or at the civic center box office. “The window will be open an hour before, and if you get here earlier, the office will be open,” McMillin said.
Although events run close to capacity, about 50 percent of audience members purchase tickets at the door, she said.
Tickets are also available at the Yuma Art Center, 373-5202; Yuma Parks & Recreation, 373-5200; or online at yumaaz.gov.
Some presenters narrate during an entire presentation, some narrate during part of it and others just sit back and let the film go, then chitchat with audience members during intermission, said McMillin. Some people have compared the Travelogue Series to the National Geographic Series, but the difference is that Travelogue Series provides that one-on-one time with the presenter, she said.
While audiences are generally comprised of mostly winter visitors and members of the academic community, others seeking entertainment, education or travel information also attend. They receive information such as how to travel, where to stay, which restaurants to eat at and general travel tips to make the trip easier, McMillin said.
“The presenters are very entertaining because they are professional travelers,” she said. “It’s not only their living, but it’s their lifestyle. They spend their lives traveling and then lecturing about the travels."
One of the better known presenters is Monty Brown. An Englishman, former actor and former producer at the BBC, Brown was nominated for an Oscar for two songs, “Would You Fly” and “Cajun Christmas,” that he wrote for the movie, “Steel Magnolias.”
Now a world traveler along with his American wife, whom he met in New York City, Brown will present “La Belle France” at the Yuma Civic Center on March 9.
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2010 Travelogue Series
Jan 12: Mississippi River Adventure
Jan 20: Barbados: Island in the Sun
Jan 26: Around the World in 80 Minutes
Feb. 2: Natural Wonders of Southeast Coast
Feb. 11: The Pony Express
Feb. 18: Inside the Tuscan Hills
Feb. 23: Ghost Towns of the West
March 9: La Belle France
